Magic isn't Virtual: Believe
by Idiot with 2 Keys and a Cloak
Summary: Someone promises Yuuki he'll revive her. Before people can blink, a new system is online, and with it, a new death game. How does this all tie together? How will the heroes of modern legend survive? Will they survive? CANCELLED
1. Prologue

**Alright, so, this is my first entry to the Sword Art Online fandom. I'm fairly good, though I've yet to get to the meaty part of any of my stories, mostly because I'm not super good at beginnings, but once the meat of the plot begins, expect a truly amazing story to unfold. I hope... Who am I kidding? I know I've got this! Anyway, this begins immediately after the Mother's Rosario arc. So, remember, R &R! Disclaimer: Sword Art Online, while brilliant, is not owned by me. And... ... ... Begin!**

* * *

Yuuki was confused as she seemingly regained consciousness. She looked around, and saw she was standing on a beach. The beach wasn't normal though; the water was purple, the sky was a bluish-grayish-purplish, and everything had a gloomy feel. "Where am I?" She asked herself, looking around. She looked down at herself and jumped in confusion. She darted over to the water, and upon seeing herself, she gasped. She, for some reason, was still in her ALO avatar. "What is going on?" She asked aloud to herself, "Is this what the afterlife is like?"

"No way!" A new voice replied calmly.

"Who's there!?" Yuuki jumped, surprised.

"Calm down." The voice replied, as a figure in a black cloak walked into view.

"Who are you?" Yuuki asked.

"Call me Soul," the figure answered. "And you, my dear, are sill in the virtual world. I'm relieved the Medicuboid's life support system is still doing its job."

"You mean I'm not dead!?" Yuuki dead-panned out off shock. "I thought i died in ALO!"

"No, those were just the side effects of bringing you here. Now, your body doesn't have much time left, so I'll get to the point; I can bring you back." The figure stated, as if he was stating the weather.

"HUH?!" Yuuki was shocked. Was he serious? "But that wouldn't mean much with the way my body is."

"Maybe so, but you still have a working body." The figure replied.

Yuuki gasped, "This one!? But how?"

"By copying your consciousness to the net, then using a bit of undercover tech to restore your body, of course. I must warn you, it will kill your real life body," The figure replied.

"Are you serious!? This is too good to be true! Why'd you do this? What's in it for you?" She asked in shear, complete awe.

"Let's just say you will be testing one more piece of completely new tech." Soul replied, "and that is more than I can ask for."

"You really can bring me back?" Yuuki confirmed to herself. To say she was shocked was an understatement. All these years and now, finally, on the brink of death, she could finally live again.

"Yep," he replied, "So, what'll it be? You don't have much time left."

"I'll do it," she steeled herself and her courage.

"Good," the cloak snapped his finger, and suddenly, Yuuki had a head ache, though it shortly passed, "It's done. Your body is dead. For now, you are essentially an A.I. The tech to revive you should activate in about a month. I will place you in a state of suspended animation until then, that way you don't get bored waiting. You can't go else where. If by chance you did, development would have to halt until you return. Is that okay?"

Yuuki thought for a moment then said, "Okay."

Soul seemed to smile. "Won't feel like anytime has passed, I promise." And with that, Yuuki began to feel herself get dragged into the confines of a dreamless sleep.

Meanwhile...

Asuna snapped out of the Amusphere and rushed into Yuuki's room. She was met with a surprise: She still had a pulse! It was even steady and controlled. She watched with hope, but then, a minute or two later the Medicuboid began to hum ominously, and Yuuki quickly flat-lined.

It had been a couple of weeks since the passing of the greatest sword fighter in ALO history, and Asuna was finally starting to recuperate. Having come to practically be the girl's sister, she had taken it especially hard, and understandably so, despite Kirito's incessant attempts to cheer her up. It was only recently she returned to Alfhiem, though she was still hesitant to use Yuuki's OSS skill. Even still, she logged into ALO. Today they were planning a boss raid, and she figured that she too should be there, for Yuuki.

* * *

 **Well there we go. The prologue is complete. Ok, it was short, though I might add to it later, and it WAS just the prologue... Oh yeah, Kirito, Yuuki, and Asuna are going to be the main protagonist, though the other members of the group will be main characters, if it unfolds that way. Any way, what'd you think? Does this have promise? Please review. Constructive criticism accepted, but NO FLAMES!**


	2. A Friend Lives

**So, this is the first true chapter of this story. I thank you for the support, and I again apologize for the short prologue. I don't have much else to say, so DISCLAIMER: I don't take credit for the SAO franchise. And... ACTION!**

* * *

Tomorrow was to be the one month anniversary of the death of Kono Yuuki, the greatest swordswoman of ALO. Asuna and her friends, in honor of the day, were planning to perform a boss raid. Asuna and the Sleeping Nights were spear heading it as they were the closest ones to Yuuki. So, this evening, they were all planning to gather at the grave site an pay their respects. And so it was a melancholy start to a very dangerous adventure, one that no one would soon forget. So starts our story.

 _(Courage plays and ends.)_

Kazuto was busy on his three-screened computer, blogging and discussing about ALO and the latest game developments. He wasn't thinking about ALO much, nor the game developments, not even the girl who he was going be paying tribute to. No, his mind was on, as any good anime hero knows (pictures of Goku from Dragon Ball and Ash from Pokémon flash on screen), food, despite munching on a sandwich already anyway. His stomach guided mind was interrupted by knock on his door, however. "Hurry up Kazuto! We're going to be late!" Suguha's voice ran out, causing The Black Swordsman's head to look over to the time and immediately jump into action, "Crap!" he cried in surprise as he jumped up. He quickly got his coat and shoes on, and barreled out the door, knocking Suguha over as he did so. "Oof. Hey!" she cried. "Sorry Sugu! Come on, let's go!" he said, darting off, wondering how he missed it get so late. "Okay, okay," Suguha chased after. They shot along towards the gave yard, almost blowing clean past. They managed to turn last second, preventing being late, thankfully. They were the last to arrive, unsurprisingly. Rika had just pointed at the hill as the duo walked over it and said, "See? Right on cue." the others looked appalled before snapping out of it, and Ryoutarou stated, "Wow. Almost late, but not quite. As usual."

* * *

 _Some time later._

Yuuki woke up on the same beach she had been on before. She felt as though no time had past since her talk with Soul, in fact, she didn't even know any time had past. That's when Soul walked in again, in the cloak, and said, "The month is up and I was spot on. The tech is ready."

"Woah, it's been a month already!?" Yuuki asked in shock. She was still just as shocked by the revelation that she could return.

"Yep. So, is there anywhere specific you'd like to placed at?" Soul asked kindly.

"Wait, you can spawn me anywhere I want!?" She was shocked again, this getting more and more unreal, but some how, she could sense it truly was.

"Yes, the system can put you anywhere, as long as it isn't underground," Soul answered. To say Yuuki was appalled would have been an understatement. Was this really happening?

"Okay. Let me put on some clothes that'll look normal, then, maybe in the park," she replied, hopeful. She'd finally be free. She opened her menu and changed out of her armor and into some street clothing.

"You good?" Soul asked, sounding hopeful as well.

"Yep," she nodded and took a deep breath, steeling her self once more.

"Good. Enjoy finally getting to live," Soul's smile could be heard in his voice.

"I will," she promised as she felt herself getting pulled out of the virtual world. She could finally be in the real world. No more pain. No more being stuck in the virtual world. She was finally free.

Yuuki blinked. She was sanding in a park, the one she had seen with Asuna. Wait... standing!? She looked down and noticed she looked exactly as she had when she was sent out of the virtual world. She looked around, and was sure. She was back. She was alive. Soul wasn't lying, and kept his word. It was night, however, but that didn't stop her from running around, and getting used to being free in the real world. She couldn't hold back a cry of joy, "I'm back!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile._

While paying tribute, Kazuto had fallen asleep, unsurprising for the master of the sleep skill. He somehow managed to do it sitting up, so flawlessly that the others thought he was still paying tribute. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but his flawless execution of it caused the others to let him stay thinking he was still paying is respects, leaving him the last one there. wen he woke up, he immediately wondered where everyone went... until he checked is watch. "Woah! I must have fallen asleep! I better head out!" and he took off, just like that. He decided to go past the park and look over the dark ocean. He was running past an saw a rather peculiar sight: a girl was running and skipping around the park. Kozuto found that odd enough to investigate, apparently. As he got somewhat closer, the girl began to look somewhat familiar. But who... He closed in a bit and when it hit his, he couldn't believe his eyes. Yuuki?! But... how was it possible? No wait, it shouldn't have been. So who or... how? Still, it was worth a guess, "Yuuki?" he called. She stopped and turned around, then smiled and and said, "Oh, hey Kazuto. I didn't think you'd be up this late." Kazuto stared in disbelief, "Is... Is that really you Yuuki?" "Yup!" she replied, excitable as ever. that seemed to snap him out of his disbelief, and he immediately hugged her. Wouldn't you if you just met a friend who was supposed to be dead? "But how?" he had to ask. "Long story. I'll tell you when everyone else is with us, kay?" she giggled. "Okay, but... well, it is late..." he said, still in a state of complete shock. She smiled, "We can always wait till tomorrow." "But tomorrow we were planning to do a boss raid in Yuuki's memory. Wait, that's you. Oops. Oh, wait..." Kazuto's mind suddenly seemed to snap into action. "What?" Yuuki asked, confused to the boy's antics. "We could surprise them," he stated. "Surprise them how?" Yuuki asked. Kazuto whispered something to her, and she giggled. "On that note, perhaps I could stay at your place for a bit?" she asked him. "Alright, we have an empty room we don't use at all, and, if we're lucky, we still have that air mattress," he replied to her. "Okay!" she smiled. "Let's go!" Kazuto smiled and the duo darted off.

Upon arriving at his house, Kazuto showed Yuuki the empty room, and blew up the air mattress, and then lied several blankets on top, finishing with a pillow, "There. See you tomorrow, kay?" he said. She nodded, and went under the covers. Kazuto went to bed as well, still shocked at the days events. Yuuki was just glad she'd finally have a chance.

* * *

 **So, what'd you think? First, yes Yuuki really is back. Also, this chapter was, thankfully, significantly longer than the last. Not as long a page, but many more words. Like I said, the early parts of my story typically are worse than when I actually get to it's meat, so, keep an eye on this story. I look forward to my first action scene in the next chapter. Thanks y'all.**


	3. A Surprise Reveal

**So, I suppose I'm not done yet; no where close. Well you want more, and more you shall get. For this chapter, I plan to write and just see what happens. DISCLAIMER: I don't take credit for SAO. And on that note: Begin!**

* * *

It was morning when Kazuto awoke. He walked out of his room, convinced last night's meeting had been a dream. None the less, he checked the empty room, and almost fainted upon seeing that it was not. Yuuki was indeed there, sleeping contentedly. Kazuto blinked then shrugged, Even more astonished by the fact she managed to sleep longer than him. He walked down and saw Suguha preparing breakfast and realized that the smell of food in the morning must have woken him up. "Morning Sugu," he yawned. "Morning sleepy head," she teased in return, and he glared in response. "Hey I was out late, okay?" he replied defensively, and she laughed at his reaction. "Any way, I'm going log into ALfhiem. You coming?" she asked. "I have to do some stuff first. I'll be on in a couple of hours," he replied nonchalantly, which she didn't find suspicious. "Alright, see you in a bit then," she said and headed to her room. When Kazuto was sure she was logged on, he checked on Yuuki, who was now up and investigating the room. "Come on, it's time for breakfast," he told her. She smiled happily as she followed him to the kitchen. Kazuto fixed some more food for her, which was not bad, especially for someone with as little skill as himself. She ate a fair amount, then stretched before hopping up. "Do you know how to fight here, in the real world?" Kazuto asked out of the blue. "Umm... No," she answered honestly. "How 'bout trying a kendo match? I can teach you here IRL, and Sugu can help after the reveal," he responded, to her surprise. "Uh... Sure, why not?" she shrugged, undeniably excited to the prospects. Learning how to fight her would be a completely new experience for, something she looked forward to. "Follow me. I'll get the padding and we'll head to the dojo," he replied. He walked off an grabbed the padding, then headed to the dojo, Yuuki following all the while. When Yuuki put the padding on, she made a slightly sour face, "This is strange. it doesn't feel a bit like my armor did." "Believe me, I know," Kazuto replied, knowing exactly how she felt. He felt the same way when he put them on to face Sugu. They each held their weapon in their signature stances. "It's light," Yuuki had to comment. "I know," Kazuto agreed, somewhat surprised by the irony. Yuuki made the first move, as she charged and took a vertical strike, which Kazuto slid to the side and attempted to hit her back, but she used her momentum to come back and block the horizontal slash with a _'CLACK!'_ Kazuto retaliated by striking diagonally with a flick off the wrist, and she twisted her wrist to easily block the strike. _'CLACK!'_ The duo continued to swap offense and defense. Eventually Kazuto went for a vertical strike, only to have his weapon swatted aside and receive a strike to the head. _'CLACK THWACK!'_ Kazuto reeled back, and sighed, "Uhg... You got me... Your not half bad IRL either." "That wasn't that good," Yuuki answered, annoyed. "Pretty hard without the system's help isn't it?" he asked, smirking as he took off the padding. "Yeah, and then some," she answered, "Talk about change. I could barely do anything without the system helping me. Of course, it helped that you held back." "Yeah, I suppose. But then again that was your first time IRL," Kazuto answered sympathetically. Yuuki nodded. "So, want to go get some food? It's close to lunch considering how late you slept in. You made ME look like an early riser," Kazuto asked with a chuckle at the end. "Sure!" the excitable girl answered. They left the area of his house, heading to the park area. They stopped at a small burger stand, and both of them were quite hungry after their dual. So, on that note, they each ordered a burger. Yuuki ate with almost as much gusto as Kazuto. Almost. That said, the small meal did not last long. "Come on Yuuk. Let's log onto ALO and beat that boss!" Kazuto exclaimed. "Yeah!" was Yuuki's excitable reply.

The duo had raced home as Yuuki had wanted to test her limits. Being relatively new to the real world, she easily lost. Kazuto grabbed his AmuSphere and handed it to Yuuki. "Is this the it?" she asked. He nodded, "Yep." She looked at him, "How are you going to get in?" "With this," he held up his old NerveGear, "It's old, but it'll work." "Ok," Yuuki nodded, putting on. She made a sour face, "How do I work this thing?" "It's easy. flip the on button and say: Link start!" She nodded, "Ok..." He nodded and left to his room. "Link start!" he heard her yell, then say, "Huh? Oh, hehe... There! Link start!" He chuckled, then spoke, "Link start!"

Yuuki awoke on the island she had 'died' on. She quickly left, heading for the 29th floor. Meanwhile, Kirito awoke in their cabin. he looked around to see the others were already present, "Hey guys," he smiled. "About time you made it," Kline slapped him on the shoulder. Kirito smiled, "Sorry, had some stuff i had to take care of." He looked around and noticed a certain Undine, and proceeded to walk over to her, "Hey. You sure you'll be good?" he asked Asuna. She nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine." Kirito was not convinced. None the less, he nodded, "Alright, so, are we ready?" Kirito asked. the others nodded or gave some other sign of affirmation. And with that, the group struck off in hopes of clearing the 29th floor boss in honor of their 'dead' friend. Only, Kirito had other plans.

Yuuki arrived at the floor dungeon well ahead of everyone else. She densely thought she was late and pressed in. The mobs were surprisingly weak. Kirito's party arrived later, and venture into the depths of the dungeon. They were all surprised by lack of monsters. Then, Kirito heard the sounds of a sword up ahead and thought, _seriously? I thought I told her to tail us!_ The others didn't appear to notice. Only monsters with the highest re-spawn rate seemed to be appearing. Eventually they got to the boss room. Evidently Yuuki had not gone inside as there was no remain light when the door was opened. So, with that, the group plunged in. The torches flickered on, two by two, until they were all lit, casting the room in a morbid glow. And just like that the boss appeared in a flurry of sparks, revealing a giant knight, shining armor and all. Four bars of health appeared, and the name was Dark Knight. "Cliche..." Kirito stated, unimpressed with the name. The battle began when Asuna thrusted with her rapier, glancing off the boss's armor. The Dark Knight brought down its sword against its challengers. The group rolled out of the way of the dangerous strike. Kirito struck the boss yet again, this time with a sword skill. The attack struck held true true, and did damage. It seemed that only sword skills could do anything to this boss. _A cruel trick,_ kirito thought, _but it might just work to our advantage._ the group each unleashed a sword skill, but the damage done was nil at best. Then, there was a flash of purple. Top right to bottom left... 1,2,3,4,5... Top left to bottom right... 1,2,3,4,5... One more thrust through the middle... Mother's Rosario! The others gasped. Not at the sword skill, but its user. A player that wasn't supposed to exist... What was Yuuki Kono doing here?! The group seemed to snap out of their shock when Kirito moved in for the attack. The boss was now well into it's second health bar. Kirito smirked at Yuuki who nodded and lashed out with a violent combo, then switching with Kirito who attacked just as violently. the duo jumped in surprise as Asuna unleashed Mother's Rosario. She smiled at the duo, who nodded. The boss was on his last bar of health. The boss raised his sword, but was interrupted by a defiant katana and ax, courtesy of Kline and Agil. The boss didn't have time as both Liz and Silica launched magic attacks. The blow that ended it was Sinon's arrow between the eyes.

The group looked at Yuuki, and they had various looks. Silica, Lisbeth, Agil, and Kline had a mixture of shock and disbelief. Kirito and Yuuki looked amused. Asuna wore disbelief. Sinon was confused as to who this new girl was. "Good going Yuuk!" Kirito smiled and the duo high fived. "Wha..." the others stated. "Hey guys!" Yuuki smiled. "Yuuki?!" the four gasped. Sinon was still didn't know what the big deal was. Kirito grew serious, "You'll never guess what happened guys. I was running after falling asleep at the cemetery," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "As I ran past the park at night, I saw this girl happily running about. I went to investigate and I saw her," he gestured at Yuuki, "In that body!" "Sure, Kirito, and the moon is green," Liz replied. "He's telling the truth," Yuuki stated, "You'll never believe what happened to me! I'm dying on the island. I close my eyes, expecting death, then I open them, and I'm on this dark beach. This black cloaked figure, named Soul, appears, and says he can bring me back, stating I was still in the virtual world. I agree, having nothing to lose. I blink, a month has passed, Soul returns, snaps his finger, and I wake up in the park!" "No way," the other three said. "Yep. I'm diving from Kirito's place right now!" "Prove it," Liz challenged. "Ok. meet us at the dicey café. Tonight, 7:00" Kirito replied. They walked up the stairs to the 30th floor. after activating the teleport gate, they logged off.

 _(Roll Credits)_

* * *

 **So, what'd you think? I could have wrote a bit more, but that seemed like a good cut off point and nice cliffhanger. I'd say I did pretty good with the battle scene. Love it? Hate it? Some-where-in-between it? See you next time!**


	4. wow, that was bad, take 2 Author's note

**Wow. after some time forgetting how much i loved this show's premise, I decide to come back to writing for it, only to look at this and wonder how I could be so bad. The characters are, well, out of character, the heavy dialogue and lack of for thought makes me cringe, along with the cliché nature and blatant KH rip-off for the scene with Soul. I'm downright disappointed in this. So, this fic is officially discontinued and I will make a new attempt hopefully before the year ends. And this time the writing shouldn't be so cringey, eesh.**


End file.
